The Incredible Theft: A Short Story

Hercule Poirot #0.35

by Agatha Christie

Previously published in the print anthology Murder in the Mews: Four Cases of Hercule Poirot.

When the specifications for a new bomber plane are stolen, the Air Marshal enlists Hercule Poirot to help him find the culprit.

Genres: Agatha Christie, Mystery, Short Stories, Audiobook, Crime, Fiction, Classics

50 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1937

About the author

Agatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.

Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.

This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.

Associated Names:
Agata Christie
Agata Kristi
Агата Кристи (Russian)
Агата Крісті (Ukrainian)
Αγκάθα Κρίστι (Greek)
アガサ クリスティ (Japanese)
阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 (Chinese)

Reviews

[EveStar91 · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You see, George, to use the language of the movies, we’ve nothing actually ‘on’ the woman. And we want something! She’s got away with rather more than she should in the past. But she’s been careful—damnably careful. We know what she’s been up to, but we’ve got no definite proof of it. We’ve got to tempt her with something big.”

The Minister Of Arms Lord Mayfield might have tempted fate when he invites Mrs. Vanderlyn, infamous for her contacts in other European countries, over for a dinner party, also attended by another military head. Some plans for a new bomber go missing and Poirot is summoned to discreetly solve the case of The Incredible Theft.

With a plot that is pretty much that of The Submarine Plans, but much better developed here, this novella also has enough page-space for Agatha Christie's strengths - character development and good writing. This is the second novella I read with similar plots to a short story, and there's no doubt that Christie really shines with novels/ novellas.

🌟🌟🌟🌟
[One star for the premise; One star for the characters; 3/4 star for the plot; Half a star for the world-building; 3/4 star for the writing - 4 stars in total.]

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The theft of secret bomber plans at a house party means everything needs to be kept hush-hush.
One of Lord Mayfield's guests is widely suspected to be a spy. Unfortunately, it looks like they have quite a tidy alibi for the time the papers went missing.



Enter Poirot, the only man alive who can untangle the mystery of the politician vs. the spy.
There's more going on here than meets the eye but all's well that ends well.
Right?

I read this as part of the short story collection Murder in the Mews.

[Saranya ⋆☕︎ ˖ [hiatus] · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're planning a heist, maybe don’t invite a detective whose mustache has more investigative experience than you do :)

Lord Mayfield, a titan of industry with secrets more valuable than his estate’s antique vases, hosts a house party that quickly turns into a game of Clue: blueprints vanish, reputations teeter and everyone seems charmingly suspicious.

Delightful and explosively satisfying :D

[Jack Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars. One interesting aspect of this 72-page novelette short story is that the process of elimination by which Poirot determines the culprit is closer to the surface than in many of Christie's works. We delve into his thought process. And oops, sometimes one overlooks the obvious - it's not a murder! It's origins go back to 1923 when it appeared in "Sketch" as "The Submarine Plans." Substantially lengthened, with the subject elevated, it was serialized in the "Daily Express" in 1937 and, later in the same year, collected with three others in "Murder in the Mews." A dinner party is being held at the home of Lord Charles Mayfield, First Minister of Armaments in the British Cabinet. Everyone is there, including Air Marshal Sir George Carrington, Lord Mayfield's able secretary, Mr. Carlile, and a Member of Parliament, Mrs. Macatta. But another guest raises eyebrows, the intriguing Mrs. Vanderlyn. Rumours are rife about her consorting with agents of enemy powers. Mayfield likes to take work home and the plans for the new bomber are in the house with her present! Of course, they go missing. The call goes to Poirot to help bail out the innocent. (Au2020/Ja2024)

[NILTON TEIXEIRA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Poirot short story first appeared as, “The Submarine Plans,” in 1923 and was later expanded. The plans stolen in this story refer to a new bomber and the theft takes place after a dinner party hosted by Lord Mayfield, First Minister of Armaments. Guests include Air Marshal Sir George Carrington, his wife – who has gambling debts – and his son, Reggie. There is also Lord Mayfield’s personal secretary, a female MP and the exotic Mrs Vanderlyn, who is suspected of espionage…

Despite the obvious culprit being Mrs Vanderlyn, Poirot is asked to investigate the extremely sensitive issue of the missing plans. This is Poirot relatively young and vigorous – daintily tripping up the stairs, admiring the pretty young ladies and, of course, solving the mystery with ease. A delightful story for Poirot fans and with an interesting cast of suspects.

[writer...]

New to me story of Poirot investigating a sensitive official war related government issue . Capable but disregarded in his perceptions, Poirot does end in saving the day and maintaining his reputation!

[catherine ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Admittedly the premise does not quite capture my attention, and it sounds a lot like other cases that Poirot has taken on. However, it was actually really interesting to follow his process of elimination as he figured out who WASN’T the culprit in order to figure out who was.

[Vin Vineeta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now Lady Vanderlyn is the kind of femme fatale spy I want to read more of 👌🏽

[Jordan Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only because I guessed the twist on this one which I never do!

[Agla]

Poirot is called to investigate the theft of a plane's plan in a politician's home. A foreign spy is on site for some odd reason. Who took it. Poirot obviously figures it out! A good one.

[Abeer Albossany · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know if I am getting smarter or are the cases getting easier? This one was unique since it was not about murder, but honestly I had it all figured out from the very beginning. Beautiful story indeed.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun and quirky story by Agatha Christie. In this story, no murder happens, but revolves around a Lord, Evening Soirée and a stolen document. All is rather intriguing, and only one person can figure out what happened! 🤔🙂

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok short story about Hercule Poirot.

[Charlene · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite Agatha Christie work. I think it's actually my least favorite so far. It wasn't all that intriguing to me, and it didn't have as much charm as the others did.

[Jess ☆〜（ゝ。∂） · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was going to write something potentially funny about how hastings just vanishes in this story with no explanation. but he just shows up in the next one like normal????

anyways both the words coquettish and demurely are used in this. i just thought you should know that. do with that what you will

[Farhana Sufi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read before in the Poirot short story collections. Not one of my favourites. But interesting.

[Ziesha Fernandez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun and quirky story. No murder. Theft of documents having national importance. A bit predictable. Overall a nice short read.

[Sarita · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a short and sweet mystery of who done it.

*I listened to the audiobook on Scribd.*

[Susy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

[a ☕︎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

both an international spy thriller and country house mystery, which is an intriguing combination…! i liked the character of mrs. vanderlyn, who is both a pseudo-bond-girl and the main suspect, but does not appear very much…

[Beka · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short story that shows off Poirot's mastery of closed room mysteries.

[Bharati · Rating 4 out of 5]

Agatha Christie. Period.

[Amber Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever little mystery. Wished it was longer.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it

[Adriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic Christie story- wide array of characters, easy to follow clues, perfect deduction skills and a twist at the end

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best short stories; slightly longer than the others read so far and all the better for it.

[Aisyah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely incredible! I'm officially a fan of Agatha Christie 😆

[Tuesdayschild · Rating 3 out of 5]

2-3 ⭐️
The story is more about a politician working things to damage control his reputation, any mystery involved is secondary.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Incredible Theft" is a short story by Agatha Christie which was originally published under the name "The Submarine Plans" and, for reasons not quite clear to me, listed as a separate entry on the Agatha Christie perpetual challenge I am participating in. This particular version of the story involves Lord Mayfair, the Minister for Armaments, (Lord Alloway in the original) and a set of top secret plans for a new type of bomber plane. As the previous title indicates, this has changed from plans for a new submarine. Mayfair deliberately invites a woman who is suspected of dealing with foreign powers to his home when the plans will be on the spot. He tells his old friend Sir George Carrington (a navy man and Air Marshal) that he's done this to try and catch the woman red-handed--there's all these suspicions, but never any proof. He hopes the idea of a big coup will flush her into the open and cause her to make mistakes. But then...the plans are practically stolen from under his nose and apparently no one could have done it. Sir George suggests they call in Hercule Poirot to discreetly get to the bottom of it.

A nifty little mystery that stands alone quite well (though, again, I'm not sure exactly why it does...). Poirot is not quite as pompous and full of his own powers as is sometimes the case and he even deigns to search for footprints in the wet grass surrounding the study where the plans had been kept. The solution is fairly straightforward, but short stories tend to be a little more so than the longer novels. A fun entry in the challenge line-up. ★★★ and 1/2.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.